The History Of International Relations

Previous to the Treaty of Westphalia there was the Thirty Years War and the political and economic structure was based on the feudal system. In short, in this obsolete system everyone was subject to the king, a drawback for the poor who were forced to work in agriculture. Many events developed from there, eventually leading to a change in the balance of power that will soon establish the core foundations of international relations. The Treaties of Westphalia are paramount to the study of international relations, as it marks the beginning of a modern era, the establishment of sovereignty, and the foundation of the international system as we know it today.
Countries were desolated as mercenaries attacked the lands, towns were raided and destroyed,

Austria, Russia, Prussia, England, France, and the United Providences were powers that followed different paths. England, France, and the United Provinces adopted a democratic system and experienced an economic revitalization under the capitalist system. On the contrary, Prussia and Russia adopted a more authoritarian approach. One of the principal focus on international relations is the study of how states relate to one another, and their influence on the international system. Although not directly related, the Treaties of Westphalia allowed states on the west to undergo an economic revolution fueled by private enterprises, improvements on the infrastructure for commerce, and the rise of the trading and banking system – many of them are still present or were part of the principal blocs of the current system. Under this growth environment, multinational corporations, which have considerable influences on the international system, developed. Moreover, the nineteenth century saw the emergence of important principles, namely, legitimacy and nationalism. To explain, government must be appointed under the consent of the citizens because political power rests with the governed, and nationalism brought together people with the same characteristics, ideals, and backgrounds, converting the state into a more powerful